We hear the playback and, indeed, it seems so long ago…
On Saturday August 1,1981 at 12:01am, MTV historically took to the airwaves for the very first time; broadcasting a song prophetically titled “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The song was written by Geoff Downes, Trevor Horne and Bruce Woolley and recorded by two bands: The Buggles; featuring Downes and Horne, and The Camera Club featuring Woolley and a young keyboardist named Thomas Dolby. It was The Buggles who appeared in Russell Mulcahy’s now laughably famous video, and enjoyed huge commercial success with a song that reached number one on sixteen different national charts with essentially no radio airplay. Of course, being the contrarian that I am, I prefer The Camera Club’s version which, by the way, received even less radio airplay. Both recordings are quintessential new wave—a genre near and dear to my heart—but the Camera Club gives the song some extra punch and makes it sound less like a novelty tune. As The Buggles, Downes and Horne followed up The Age of Plastic with one more album before moving on to record with Yes and Asia. Meanwhile, Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club called it quits after one album and a handful of singles. Woolley went on to forge a name for himself as a producer; a composer of film, radio and television music; and a therminist with the Radio Science Orchestra.
On Saturday August 1,1981 at 12:01am, MTV historically took to the airwaves for the very first time; broadcasting a song prophetically titled “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The song was written by Geoff Downes, Trevor Horne and Bruce Woolley and recorded by two bands: The Buggles; featuring Downes and Horne, and The Camera Club featuring Woolley and a young keyboardist named Thomas Dolby. It was The Buggles who appeared in Russell Mulcahy’s now laughably famous video, and enjoyed huge commercial success with a song that reached number one on sixteen different national charts with essentially no radio airplay. Of course, being the contrarian that I am, I prefer The Camera Club’s version which, by the way, received even less radio airplay. Both recordings are quintessential new wave—a genre near and dear to my heart—but the Camera Club gives the song some extra punch and makes it sound less like a novelty tune. As The Buggles, Downes and Horne followed up The Age of Plastic with one more album before moving on to record with Yes and Asia. Meanwhile, Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club called it quits after one album and a handful of singles. Woolley went on to forge a name for himself as a producer; a composer of film, radio and television music; and a therminist with the Radio Science Orchestra.
The Buggles helped kickstart MTV and for better or for worse, changed the way the world would experience music for years to come. Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club have the dubious, less-historic distinction of being selected for the Happy Medium Song of the Day with their superior version of “Video Killed the Radio Star” from the album English Garden. (Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)